Candle
by Frost Destiny Winter
Summary: Like a candle that had its flame snuffed out. Edogawa Conan is missing. Kudo Shinichi is dead.


Like a candle that had its flame snuffed out. Edogawa Conan is missing. Kudo Shinichi is dead.

 ** _"Kudo Shinichi, the perpetrator of the fall behind the Black Organization."_**

Ran looked at the headlines of a newspaper in a table of the Detective Agency. Her eyes went wide and hurriedly read the news article.

 **"The Black Organization, said to be one of the largest organizations worldwide has been taken down with the help of the local police, FBI and the CIA. Kudo Shinichi, the missing teenage detective of the East was said to be the one who orchestrated the fall of the organization."**

Her eyes will filled with shock and relief. Relieved that he is still alive and shocked that the big case that her childhood friend was talking about is an international case. As she read on, there was something that made her heart stop

 **"After the fall, the local police found a body that looked exactly like the teenage detective."**

Her eyes went wide with shock. Tears endlessly streamed down her face. Her heart was breaking. Her childhood friend, her cocky best friend, and most especially her first love, is dead.

For the next few days, she did not get out of her room. Her mother even moved back with them trying to help her daughter in mourning. Her father could only look at the door in her room, offering comforting words and leaving food for her to eat.

Kudo Shinichi's burial was held a week later. Not many came, for he only established a few ties compared to Edogawa Conan. After all, he was quite cocky during his teenage days, and not many could tolerate his attitude.

Ran, in a black dress looked at the tombstone of her first love. The cries of his mother, Kudo Yukiko was heard as she mourned in grief for her only son. Kudo Yusaku could only comfort his wife, trying hard not to spill the tears gathering in his eyes.

One by one, the guests left. Sonoko patted Ran's shoulder, smiled and left with her uncle. Heiji looked hatefully at the tombstone while comforting his childhood friend in his arms. The Detective of the West could only sigh and walked away, leaving with unshed tears in his eyes.

Shinichi's parents left an hour later while Ran stayed behind. Tears never stopped streaming as she touched his tombstone.

 ** _R.I.P._**

 ** _In loving memory of Kudo Shinichi_**

 ** _Birthdate: May 04, *_**

 ** _Died: October 18, 20*_**

The weather seemed to have understood her as rain started to pour down. She lost count of time, relieving the memories he left behind. That until, she felt that someone offered her an umbrella.

"It's not the person you miss, but the memories that you have shared together." Ran could only look at the stranger in front of her. She concluded that she must be a foreigner considering that she has strawberry-blonde hair. The stranger is wearing black-rimmed glasses which oddly resembled what Conan wears.

"Who are you?" She asked in between hiccups.

"I am someone that you, an angel, should not be associating with." The stranger smiled. "But, I am not here to have a chitchat."

"Why do you know me? And why are you calling me an angel?"

"Because an associate of mine called you that. Anyways, I am here to leave a message.

 ** _Do not search for a boy named Edogawa Conan_**.

Ran's eyes widened as she remembered the little boy that used to live with them at the detective agency. She was consumed with grief that she did not even realize that she has not saw him for days.

"Do you know where he is?" She pleaded the stranger.

"I have no reason to answer your question." The stranger turned her back and walked away.

"Is he okay?" Ran asked the retreating figure.

"He's not." The woman stopped. "But he'll be fine. That I can assure you."

 **TIME SKIP**

Months have already passed by and Ran is trying to move on. Time heals everything, so they say. She's glad having her mother stay at their house for permanent this time. But her mind sometimes wander, trying to ponder where her surrogate little brother is and that stranger who gave her an umbrella.

She tried her best not to remember that cocky detective though, but sometimes she allowed herself to cry as the rain poured down by her windowsill. She tried to cheer herself up by cooking, cleaning and doing the things that she is passionate about. She even tried to immerse herself in karate, but her thoughts would drift back to Shinichi whenever a karate tournament is held. How Shinichi would grin at her when she won and would grudgingly give her some ice cream if she lost. She missed those little moments.

"Ran!" Sonoko's voice rang out in the whole agency causing Ran to come back to reality.

"Sonoko!" She called out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Kid-sama is going to launch out a new heist!" Sonoko's eyes sparkled at the mention of her idol.

"It's about a crystal rose right?" Ran sat down beside her best friend.

"Yes!" She rummaged her bag. "Before I forget, here." She gave her an envelope with a Kid caricature.

"Uncle thought it would be nice if you go out sometimes." Sonoko smiled. "Besides, it's Kid-sama's heist! No one would be sad in his heist!"

"Sonoko." Ran smiled. She is happy that her best friend is trying her best to let her spirits up.

"And don't you dare skip out with some lame excuse!" Sonoko grinned like a cheshire cat.

"Then, I'll go."

"Nice!" Sonoko's fist pumped in the air. "Next Saturday! Don't forget!"

 **TIME SKIP**

Ran entered a museum that is heavily guarded with security personnel. She clutched her purse as she tried to navigate towards Sonoko who was talking to a waiter.

"Sonoko!"

"Ran! You came!" She waved to her best friend. Sonoko excused herself from the seemingly handsome waiter and walked towards Ran.

"You look gorgeous tonight!" Sonoko commented taking note of Ran's dress. Ran is wearing a white sleeveless dress that reached above her knee. She giggled in response.

"Who were you talking to?" She asked.

"A handsome boy." She had a dreamy look in her eyes. "He also likes to play violin and is actually a waiter here to serve guests just this night to earn some money for his siblings."

"That's very informative." Ran commented while roaming her eyes around. Her eyes widened as she took note of the decorations and gorgeously dressed women and young men.

"Would you like to drink some punch?" Sonoko offered and they both went into the buffet table.

"Why put a buffet table in a museum?" She asked.

"Prestigious guests are actually roaming around this very minute in the museum. This must have been here to entertain themselves." Sonoko answered while drinking some punch.

A young girl who looked exactly like Ran stopped by the buffet table with a blonde boy in tow.

"Is Kaito already here?"

"That I do not know. He said he'll be here exactly at 9:30 and he still hasn't arrived." The girl's companion looked at a pocket watch before returning his full attention to the girl.

"Have you noticed something?" The girl asked his companion. "About Kaito?"

"Yeah. He suddenly became more reserve and his tricks would fumble which never happened. Ever."

"I guess so. He's becoming more distant lately." The girl mumbled before eating some kind of pastry.

"Have you noticed something about Kaito Kid?" The boy asked his companion. "Because I noticed that he is becoming sloppier, as if that he's new to the trade."

"Mm."

"Ran!" Ran looked at Sonoko who was looking at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She let out a smile, while trying to hide the fact that she is actually listening to a stranger's conversation.

She smiled sadly. At least that girl still has the person they cared for about. They could still actually mend their relationship, except for hers who has been cut a long time ago.

"Oh look! It's 9:29 already!" Sonoko shouted and dragged her best friend towards the center where the action usually happens.

The lights dimmed as the clock struck 9:30 and smoke began to envelope the whole room.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I welcome you to this show tonight!" Kid magically appeared in thin air as he let out a grin.

"I swear I'll get you Kid!" A detective shouted in the room.

"We'll see Nakamori-keibu~" Kid answered and vanished as doves obstructed everyone's view. As their vision cleared, they heard a loud gasp as someone pointed to a glass case.

"The crystal rose! It's gone!" One of audience shouted.

"After that elusive thief!" The detective cried out as police began to run towards the rooftop.

Hakuba ran after Kid while dodging the projectiles that the thief has planted. Dye bomb, glitter bond, a sticky web and random paint splattered above the teenage detective until he got caught in a sticky web that appeared out of nowhere.

"Damn it!" He cursed as he tried to untangle himself.

Meanwhile, the moonlight magician ran towards the rooftop, and opened the door. He gently grabbed the crystal rose from one of his pockets and looked at it under the moon.

"No luck?" A silhouette appeared from the shadows transforming into a beautiful, young teenager. If Ran is here, she would have remembered the person. The very person who advised her not to find Conan.

"No luck at all." Kid sighed and returned the rose into one of his pockets. "Do you think that he'll be happy?"

"What do you mean?" His associate asked as she looked at the crowds below.

"That we're doing this. For him."

"I'm sure he'd be ecstatic to watch the times that you fumbled simple magic tricks over and over again." She looked at him. "For how long will you keep this act?"

"Until I find what he is looking for."

"Until then, I'll be by your side." The woman, who revealed herself to be Miyano Shiho slipped back into the shadows as they heard multiple footsteps approaching the door.

At the rooftop, the magician clad in white looked into the full moon.

"If this is the only way for me to repay you with my life, I would gladly do so, Kuroba Kaito."

 _A/N:_

 _Reviews are gladly accepted. Cover Photo is not mine._


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